


Reasons

by queen_scribbles



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 16:49:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11855715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: The aftermath of beating Thaos is something of a mixed bag





	Reasons

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the new weekly Pillars of Eternity prompt blog on tumblr. (So yes, there will probably be a lot more PoE fic from me. I mean, that was happening anyway, but it'll be sooner and more regular, even if I don't hit every prompt) Also, Hiravias finally gets to talk in this one. \o/ Not much, but considering he's one of my faves and I'm, like, nine fics in and he hasn't talked yet, I'm still excited. :D

 

_The voices were gone_ , was the first thing Tavi noticed on her sluggish return to consciousness(with no small amount of relief). _So was her armor,_ followed shortly after and greatly accelerated said return to consciousness.

“Where the fuck’s my stuff?” she asked with a groan, pushing herself upright. Her head hurt.

“Good morning to you, too,” a familiar voice said from next to her makeshift bedroll. “Your stuff is fine. And how many times do I have to tell you that _alive_ is preferable?”

Tavi chuckled hoarsely, blinking and rubbing sleep from her eyes with the heel of one hand until the blurry, dark-haired figure sitting next to her sharpened and cleared into Aloth, sleeves rolled up past his elbows and hair tied back. “Either I’m dead and this is my reward in the afterlife, or I have really _fuckin’_ good timin’.”

Aloth laughed softly--a tad sheepishly. “The latter, I promise.”

Tavi raked one hand through her hair. “So what do I have to thank for... _this_?” She gestured loosely at him.

“We weren’t sure how long you were going to sleep--Berath knows you needed it--so we started looking for how Thaos got _in_ , figuring we can use it to get _out_. Since he collapsed it behind him, there are parts where digging is required.”

She flicked a glance at his hands. There was dirt under his nails, and a few faint scratches across the backs. “All of you?”

“All of us,” he nodded. “We’ve taken turns sitting with you so you wouldn’t be alone when you woke. You just missed Pallegina.”

“I really do have good timin’,” Tavi muttered. “Nothin’ against Pallegina, but I’d rather wake up to you than her.” She yawned. “How long _did_ I sleep?”

“Best guess?” Aloth paused, biting his lip in thought. “Seventeen hours, roughly. It’s hard to tell time down here.”

“Holy shit,” she said under her breath. “No wonder I’m hungry...”

“Here.” Aloth dug in one of the packs piled nearby and handed her some food.

“Wait.” Tai caught his arm with her free hand as he started to sit back and pulled him close enough to steal a kiss. “That’s better.” She rested her forehead against his. “You know I find you distracting like this.”

He brushed her cheek with his thumb, fingers cool as they rested against the side of her neck. “Would you believe me if I said I’d forgotten?”

Tavi grinned and kissed him again. “Not for one fuckin’ second.”

“Smart woman.” Aloth sat back with a reluctant sigh. “You should eat. I’ll go tell the others you’re awake.”

She nodded, sitting cross-legged to eat her meal. “I’ll come help dig as soon as I’m done.”

“You really should rest more...” he started to protest.

“I can rest at the Celestial Sapling when we get out,” Tavi countered around a mouthful of jerky. “They have nice rooms, and we have a fuckton of money to rent said rooms as long as we damn well please. I’m helping.”

For the briefest instant Aloth looked ready to further argue the point, but nodded. “Alright. As you wish.”

>><><<

Even with all of them pitching in to tunnel through the rubble, it was still almost four days before they emerged at Teir Evron. It felt the same, and yet somehow also different. Like she was seeing somewhere familiar in a more hopeful light. Or some philosophical shit like that. She didn’t want to do mental gymnastic right now, she wanted to get clean and then sleep. A sentiment she was sure the rest of her party shared. They were all sweaty, all dirty, all exhausted, and the thought of an inn had never been more tantalizing.

When they finally reached the Celestial Sapling, Tavi was ready to all but beg for the best room they could have. Fortunately, there was a suite available, with plenty of beds “Alright, that’s a blessing. How much extra to get tubs and hot water sent up so we can all get fuckin’ clean?” 

The innkeeper paused, looked at their group--one eyebrow twitching at Kana--and did some calculations in his head before naming a sum that sounded more than fair. Tavi obligingly plunked the coins down on the counter, with a few extra fennings for their trouble. “We’re gonna want that brought up as soon as possible, yeah?”

The innkeeper nodded. “I hear ya. I’ll make sure the staff don’t dilly dally.”

He was as good as his word. They’d barely had time to reach the room, set down their packs, and start discussing who got which bed(with copious teasing from Sagani and Hiravias not at all subtly wondering if Tavi and Aloth would want to share) before the staff arrived, large wooden tub and several buckets of water in tow. A potentially heated debate about who got to go first was averted when Hiravias pulled out the small pouch with his Kith’s Grace game tiles.

“Everyone pick a tile; low number first, high number last.” He bounced the bag slightly in his palm to mix things a bit more. “Sound fair?”

They all shrugged agreement(Tavi certainly couldn’t think of anything better) and one by one reached in to pull out an etched bone tile. Tavi, of course, drew fifteen.

_Fuckin’ highest number in the fuckin’ game,_ she sulked to herself as she plunked on the foot of her bed with an irritated huff. She watched through narrowed eyes as Kana--lucky bastard--gathered a change of clothes and ducked into the curtained alcove first.

Her bed shifted as Aloth sat next to her. “We could trade if you like.” He held up his tile pinned between two fingers, the four etched into its surface half-hidden. “I’m supposed to be next.”

Tavi thought about it briefly, but shook her head. “Sweet of you to offer, city slicker, an’ it’s real temptin’, but I’ll pass.” She grinned playfully as she smudged dirt off his forehead. “You prob’ly need it more than I do, anyway.”

Aloth looked at her with one eyebrow raised. “I’m making an effort not to be insulted,” he said mildly, smile tugging the corners of his mouth.

Tavi giggled. “Not what I meant. You lot all have, what, a day’s worth of workin’ on that fuckin’ tunnel on me, so you’ll all appreciate it more.” She smirked.  “’Sides, if I go last, I can take as long as I fuckin’ want.”

“Ah, the truth comes out,” Aloth said dryly, leaning over to pick crumbled clay out of her hair. “Rather devious of you, l- Tavi.”

Her smirk widened at his near-slip, and she leaned close to whisper, “Isn’t that one of the reasons you love me?”

His expression when she sat back said she was right.

>><><<

It was hard, but Tavi did manage to wait semi-patiently for everyone else to finish before finally, _finally_ getting her turn. And it was every bit as worth it as she’d been hoping. She actually had to bite her lip to keep from moaning in pleasure as she sank into the tub and the water covered her tired, aching body to the neck. She balled up her discarded shirt and used it as a pillow so she could lean against the rim of the tub.

As if they’d been waiting for her to have a moment relatively alone to stop niggling the back of her mind and get some proper attention, two little words charged to the forefront: _What now?_

_Now everyone leaves,_ sprang up unbidden, and Tavi almost let out a wry laugh. For once _she_ wouldn’t be the one doing the leaving. She knew Sagani would want to go home--couldn’t blame her--Pallegina and Kana had reasons to head back to their respective countries, most of the others had no reason to leave, but didn’t have any reason to stay, either. Aloth and Edér might stick around for awhile, both of which made her happy, if for entirely different reasons.

Smiling at the thought, Tavi took a breath and ducked her head under the water’s surface, working her fingers through her hair to dislodge any stubborn dirt of debris. Her lungs were just starting to burn when she resurfaced and shoved her hair back out of her face. She rolled her shoulders as a trickle of water ran down her spine.

_Worryin’ about that can wait for later,_ she decided. _Who’s stayin’, who’s leavin’ and when... I can think about that after we get back to Caed Nua. For now I’m gonna enjoy myself._ And with that, she sank back into he water up to her chin, soaking in the warmth until it was gone.

>><><<

Durance was already gone when they made it back to Caed Nua. Tavi was neither surprised not hurt by this fact. She and the priest hadn’t spoken much, and usually disagreed when they did; it was hardly a shock when Edér told her Durance had left only a day or two after she defeated Thaos. He’d cited a vision from Magran that his path led elsewhere now, but if Tavi was honest, she didn’t really care. She was just glad he was gone.

Sagani only stayed a couple more days before heading back to Massuk, her homesickness and restlessness so obvious the few times Tavi saw her between dealing with the backlog of “official business”, she was on the verge of telling her to go home. Sure, Tavi would miss her, but Sagani had a husband and children she hadn’t seen in five years. So they said goodbye, promised to write(neither sure how easy that would be to keep), and Sagani set off for Massuk, Itumaak beside her.

One by one, over the next few weeks, the others left as well, until--just as Tavi predicted--Edér and Aloth were the only ones still around. Kana was the last to leave and the hardest to watch go. He reminded Tavi of her brothers--all three, in different ways--and his departure was the faintest echo of _losing someone_ again.

“Are you... alright?” Aloth asked cautiously as he joined her on the battlements, as if worried he’d offend her with the question.

Tavi nodded, still staring at the road where Kana had passed out of view. “I’ve lost enough brothers in my life... least that one can still write occasionally.”

“I know you’ll miss him,” Aloth said quietly, leaning against the wall next to her, not at all deceived by her glib comment. “You two forged quite a friendship.”

“Yeah, isn’t it amazin’ how close you get when you’re savin’ the fuckin’ world?” Tavi said wryly. “But it does make me wonder...” She slid her hand closer until their fingers brushed. “how long do I have ‘fore I lose you, too?”

He gave a small hum of understanding and covered her hand with his. “Oh, quite a while, I imagine. A couple more months, at least.”

She raised an eyebrow and turned, cold stone digging into her hip as she faced him. “Really?”

Aloth mirrored her pose. “Really.”

Tavi snorted. “Shit, I figured with this big, important mission you gave yourself of dismantlin’ the Leaden Key, you wouldn’t have many reasons to stay.”

“I don’t need ‘many reasons’, Tavi,” Aloth said, half-smiling. “Just one good one.”

“City slicker-”

“I am, of course, referring to the Brighthollow library-”

“You _ass_!”Tavi whacked his shoulder with the back of her hand, unable to completely suppress a laugh.

“-ow--since it’s one of the most robust collections of books in the Dyrwood,” he finished, completely deadpan save the teasing glint in his eyes.

“Ah, so you only love me for my books, s’that it, Corfiser?”

“I love you for many reasons,” Aloth chuckled, pulling her close enough to wrap one arm around her shoulders. “And the books are very near the bottom of the list.”

“Heh,” Tavi grunted, sidling in close to wrap her arm around his waist. “’Preciate that.”

The two of them settled into companionable silence as they watched the sun slowly set, and Tavi silently reflected that whatever was coming next, she had every reason to believe they were ready for it. 


End file.
